Oakland's Lake Merritt, known as the "jewel of the city," is studded with sculls and small sailboats and surrounded by shoreline parks, Children's Fairyland, a bird sanctuary and well-used trails.

But years of neglect have left the lake's retaining walls crumbling, and its water quality so poor that it often gives off a forbidding stench.

Voters in the Bay Area's third-largest city will decide in November whether to give a makeover to an urban oasis and its surroundings and boost Oaklanders' access to the water.

Under a $198 million bond measure unanimously placed on the ballot Tuesday by the City Council, kayakers could paddle from Lake Merritt toward the estuary, while pedestrians could stroll along that waterway from Jack London Square to the airport. The measure would cost taxpayers $20 a year for every $100,000 of assessed property value.

"We should take advantage of our greatest geographic asset, which is our waterfront and the lake, both for open space and economic development," said Councilman Danny Wan, one of the bond's backers.

The 140-acre lake has been cut off from the channel connecting it to the estuary by 12 lanes of traffic, culverts, railroad bridges and a flood-control barrier, all of which block access for pedestrians and boaters.

Plans outlined in the bond measure include:

-- Removing barriers between the lake and the channel to increase tidal flow, improve water quality and open access for small watercraft. But a railroad bridge and gas line would remain near the end of the channel, preventing boaters from traveling its entire length to the estuary.

-- Installing storm water filters, aeration fountains and other devices to increase water quality and decrease smelly algae.

-- Reducing traffic lanes at the south end of the lake near the Kaiser Convention Center, replacing them with a small beach, adding parkland in other areas and improving bicycle and pedestrian paths.

-- Adding arched bridges and paths so people could walk or bike from the lake along its channel to the estuary.

His group was successful in sinking plans for a Roman Catholic cathedral at the south end of the lake. The Diocese of Oakland dropped its proposal in the face of opposition and has been scouting for another site.

Mayor Jerry Brown, who had supported the cathedral plan, has since given his backing to the bond measure.

While Lake Merritt and the channel present challenges, many Oaklanders don't bother trying to access the estuary -- Oakland's inner harbor on San Francisco Bay -- beyond Jack London Square.

While Oakland has a 19-mile waterfront, much of it is locked up by the Port of Oakland's shipping operations and Oakland International Airport. What's left is a mix of intermittent trails, dilapidated warehouses, factories and land marred by industry.

The bond plan would spend $53 million to clean up contaminated land, spruce up and add parks, and create a continuous pedestrian and bicycle path from Jack London Square to the Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline, near Network Associates Coliseum and the airport.

"We're one of the few cities in the country that has a waterfront and doesn't use it," said Councilwoman Jane Brunner, another leader of the bond effort.

City officials hope to emulate cities like Baltimore and Portland that have reclaimed industrial waterfronts for public use.

The plan could take 20 years to implement and would need additional funding, which officials say will be easier to win with a local commitment.

"This bond could get us started on bringing the dream of Oakland as a waterfront city to all its residents," said Sandra Threlfall, a longtime advocate for reclaiming the estuary.

The bond also includes $30 million for other city programs: $10 million each for creek restoration, renovation of the Studio One art center in North Oakland and construction of an aquatic and sports center in East Oakland.

While a recent poll showed 71 to 80 percent of Oakland voters would support an even larger bond measure, not everyone is convinced. The measure requires a two-thirds majority to pass.

"Considering the state of the economy, there are better ways it could be spent," said Oakland resident Jackie Jones as she walked along Lake Merritt this week. She would rather see money invested in housing and children's programs, she said.

But Susan Jones, who regularly runs around the lake and walks it with her children, said she'd vote for it.

"I think the lake is a great resource," she said, "and it's a shame it's not healthier."

PROPOSED CHANGES IN THE LAKE MERRITT ESTUARY
1 Remove barriers between the lake and the channel to increase tidal flow,
improve water quality and open access for small watercraft.
2 Reduce traffic lanes at the south end of the lake near the Kasier
Convention Center, and replace them with a small beach, add parkland in other
areas and improve bicycle and pedestrian paths.
3 Add arched bridges and paths so people could walk or bike from the lake
along its channel to the estuary.
4 Renovate a boathouse now used as headquarters for the Parks and
Recreation Department and returning the facility to public use.
5 Create a continuous predestrian and bike path on the estuary from Jack
London Square to the Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline.
Source: ESRI, GDT

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